Wednesday, June 6, 2012

How to: Make a duct tape clutch

I've been lusting over the look of large envelope clutches for a while, but I haven't been willing to pay a significant amount of money for one. So I decided to create my own alternative out of duct tape. This simple three-step guide will teach you how to make a duct tape clutch with ease, and without a huge pricetag. With this project, you'll need duct tape (any colour), sharp scissors, glue, magnets, and no sewing.

1.) Making the outline- Lay out strips of duct tape at whatever length you please (sticky side up) over top of each other. When cutting the strips, don't worry if the edges of the strips are uneven or frayed- they'll be covered up later. Expect your bag to be about half the width of the combined strips, but make sure you lay down a few extras for the top flap of the clutch.

2.) Shaping your clutch- Once you have the desired width, fold over the frayed/uneven sides slightly onto the sticky side so you're left with smooth edges. Next, lay a fabric on top of your tape, which will act as the inner lining of the clutch. After, fold up the bottom edge, which will make the basis of your clutch. Fold the upper edge over that to make sure that the flap closure is at a desirable length.

3.) Finishing touches- With only the bottom edge folded up, use a single strip of duct tape to seal each side of the clutch. To get your clutch to close, glue magnets where appropriate- just make sure they align. Now, you should have the basic shape and functionality of a clutch. To make it more personal and to your tastes, you can choose to cut the top flap into a more triangular (envelope-like) shape or decorate your clutch.

And there you have it! A functional and durable duct tape clutch for a bold look, without the bold price.